Nga Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al / Exactly 43 years ago, on the morning of December 18, 1981, the Albanian Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu, who had held that position since 1953, was found dead in his bedroom (according to the official version, from a bullet from a pistol) in the villa where he lived with his family, at the entrance of the “Block” of the high leadership of the Albanian Party of Labor, just a few meters from the building of the Central Committee of the Albanian Party of Labor and also from Enver Hoxha’s villa. Although more than four decades have passed since that day, considered one of the most serious and notorious events of that regime, there is still no clear and accurate version regarding what happened to the former Albanian Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu on the night leading to December 18, 1981! However, even after the 1990s, dozens of testimonies and archival documents have been made public regarding that event, “the murder or suicide of Mehmet Shehu,” which continues to be the subject of numerous debates and discussions, even wrapping it further in mystery around the truth.
Based on this fact, in the context of publishing dozens of testimonies and files with archival documents from the secret fund of the former State Security and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or the Central Committee of the Albanian Party of Labor, which we have published over the decades since the collapse of Enver Hoxha’s communist regime and his successor, Ramiz Alia, Memorie.al has secured the voluminous file “of the enemy Mehmet Shehu,” which has been extracted from the secret fund of the former State Security at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (now part of the fund of the Authority for Information on the Documents of the former State Security), where, with a few minor exceptions, most of them have never seen the light of publication and are made public for the first time in full.
In the mentioned file, there are the relevant facsimiles, the expert report of the investigative-operational group that was set up immediately on the morning of December 18, 1981, led by Koço Josifi (head of the Investigative Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tirana), the forensic doctors Dr. Fatos Hartito and Docent Bashkim Çuberi, the prime minister’s doctors, Milto Kostaqi and Llesh Rroku, as well as the criminalist expert from the Central Criminalistic Laboratory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Estref Myftari, assisted by high officials of that ministry, Xhule Çiraku, Elham Gjika, and Lahedin Bardhi.
Also, in the voluminous file that we are making public, there are testimonies from the family members of former Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu, from the service personnel, and his escort group, as well as from all other individuals who were summoned and testified about that event. Moreover, the documents in question, which we are publishing along with the facsimiles and relevant photos, provide more information regarding this matter.
However, even though we are dealing only with archival documents, it should be emphasized that; knowing how that system operated before the ’90s, we cannot claim absolute truth regarding what is written there, as not only from the individuals who provided their testimonies, but also from the investigators of this case, it has been made known that the testimonies were obtained under pressure, intimidation, and physical and psychological violence, with some investigators going so far as to write them themselves while the witnesses or defendants merely signed them.
Continued from the previous issue
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT, WITH THE PROTOCOL OF QUESTIONING THE PERSONAL RADIO OPERATOR OF MEHMET SHEHU, METE BILO BONI FROM THE SIDE OF THE INVESTIGATORS OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS, SOKOL KOLEKA AND BASHKIM CAKA
P R O T O C O L
(Of questioning the witness)
Today, dated 11.6.1983, in the city of Tirana.
We, the investigators of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Sokol Koleka and Bashkim Caka, are questioning as a witness in the investigation:
Name, father’s name, surname: Mete Bilo Boni.
Date of birth: December 3, 1951.
Education: Secondary.
Place of residence: Tirana, Neighborhood No. 8, “Brigada e 8” Street, Building 8, Staircase 2.
Position: Officer in the Department of Internal Affairs, Puka.
Party membership: None.
Has he been convicted: Not convicted.
Identification number: does not have it with him.
Relationship with the accused: No family connections.
The investigator warned me about the criminal responsibility, based on Article 202 of the Criminal Code, for false testimony.
SIGNATURE OF THE WITNESS
Mete Boni
Concerning the matter, I can say as follows:
In 1973, I began working in the group accompanying the enemy Mehmet Shehu, as a radio operator, and I stayed in this position until he committed suicide.
During the time I worked in this accompanying group, I had as the group leader Ali Çeno, who was the person who was kept closest by Mehmet Shehu.
For every issue, Ali Çeno would come in the name of Mehmet Shehu and say; I have discussed this or that matter with Mehmet Shehu…………………………………………..!
I do not know of any specific hostile actions carried out by Mehmet Shehu or other individuals recently arrested for hostile activities against the Party of Labor of Albania.
However, during the time I was here on duty, like the other officers, I had the opportunity to deliver envelopes to Kadri Hazbiu and Feçor Shehu, which were given to us by Mehmet Shehu.
After we received these envelopes from Mehmet Shehu and handed them to Kadri or Feçori, they returned a blank envelope to us, which we had to give back to Mehmet Shehu. This was done to show that the envelope had reached its destination, as these envelopes were not officially documented.
I delivered one envelope in this manner from Mehmet Shehu to Feçor not long before the 8th Congress of the Party of Labor of Albania, while I delivered one to Kadri Hazbiu a little earlier. I do not know what these envelopes contained………..!
On December 16, 1981, Feçor Shehu arrived at Mehmet Shehu’s house. He came during the evening. I was not on duty that night, but my friends who were on duty that date told me they saw Feçor Shehu go to Mehmet Shehu’s house…………………!
On December 18, 1981, I went to work in the morning as usual, where the other members of the accompanying group arrived at the scheduled time. The enemy Mehmet Shehu, accompanied by Ali Çeno and doctor Llesh Rroku, went to the Political Bureau meeting and returned from the meeting for lunch.
After this, we went home, had lunch, and returned to work in the afternoon. Also in the afternoon, Mehmet Shehu went back to the Political Bureau meeting.
When Mehmet Shehu returned from the Political Bureau meeting, he came home and entered through the main door. Shortly after Mehmet Shehu entered the house, he asked for doctor Llesh Rroku, who when he returned told us that he had measured Mehmet Shehu’s blood pressure and that it was high.
As Llesh Rroku told us, he asked for a coffee to be made, but he was told that it was not good for his blood pressure……..! While in the officer service room, Ali Çeno said: “I will stay here on duty today” and as far as I remember, Ali Çeno said, “I will stay here on duty because my wife is not home today”!
At that moment, I left for home, passing along the outer wall of Mehmet Shehu’s house, by Party House No. 1, and from there I went through the park, straight to my house. I left alone and did not leave with anyone else. I want to say that I usually took this route when going home…………………..!
So after I left for home, I left in the officers’ service room, Ali Çeno, the officer on duty that night, Dashamir Rabaj, and driver Astrit Hitaj………………!
I learned of the suicide of the enemy Mehmet Shehu the next day, on December 18, 1981………………………..!
I clarify that Ali Çeno did not serve on guard duty like all the other officers of the accompanying group, but he stayed at Mehmet Shehu’s house only on special occasions, such as when there was a dinner, among other times. As for the reasons why Ali Çeno stayed that night, I don’t know what to say…………………!
I read the protocol myself and saw that my statements are written correctly, and I sign it without objections. Memorie.al
Witness: Mete Boni Investigators: Sokol Koleka Bashkim Caka
Continues in the next issue
